by Maggie • February 12, 2012 • Comments Off on Hassan Hachimi Voice of Syrians in West: Syria Refugee Corridor into Turkey

Hassan Hachimi is a Syrian exiled in Canada. He is leading a movement to provide a sanctuary zone along the Syrian-Turkis border, with Turkey providing protection. Both people and goods could move in and out of Syria through this corridor. They Syrian National Council (SNC) was formed in October 2011 and the group, which includes Hachimi, wants to be the “alternative” Syrian voice to Bashar al-Asaad.

The group is about to reach a milestone — formal recognition by a number of countries as the representative of the Syrian people. The initiative is led by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, three key players in the region, and backed by the United States, France and other allies — “Friends of Syria.”

This would allow open, rather than covert, financial assistance to the group. More crucially, its military wing, the Free Syrian Army — already operating from Turkey — would be supplied arms and ammunition. That army would, as a start, try and open a safe corridor between the Turkish border and Idlib, only 25 kilometres inland. That’s one of the towns being besieged by the Syrian army. The hilly area there is not heavily patrolled. So the assumption is that the dissident army can take it and hold it.

If it does, the corridor would be used for humanitarian aid going in and Syrian refugees coming out to a safe haven in Turkey. If the plan works, it could be extended another 55 kilometres to include Aleppo, the second largest Syrian city, now surrounded by Syrian tanks. The historic mercantile centre has seen only minor protests and little violence but it has long been opposed to the ruling Assad clan and been under strict surveillance since the protests began in March. Source: The Star

The Turkish foreign minister is in Washington, D.C. this week. Washington wants Turkey to take the lead, and Turkey wants to know what happens if…

Assad bombs by air? Does Turkey use its anti-aircraft batteries or, worse, scramble its fighter jets? If so, that’s war, which nobody seems to want.

Hassan Hachimi’s father was “persecuted” by al-Asaad’s father for involvement in the Muslim Brotherhood – thus the exile. As the Syrian National Council was in formation last Fall, tribal sheikhs wanted an alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood, but the Brotherhood joined the Syrian National Council, and the sheikhs followed.

In October Hachimi is quoted saying “we don’t want a Libyan scenario,” but he also said the outside world had a “humanitarian obligation to protect the Syrian people.” No doubt he includes the free world and infidels in that obligation.

All Arab countries have been, and are, brutal to their citizenry. This is nothing new. If Syria’s Arab brothers wanted to stop al-Asaad, they would stop al-Asaad. The governance of the entire Arab world needs to deal with all Arab uprisings, because God only knows, true democracies will not form as long as Arab men live. Don’t ask us for another dime, another boot on the ground, another plane in the air.